Slides from Dr. Kristina Rodign’s talk at Service Experience Camp 2015 on ‘How to touch electricity and gas’ Making energy tangible: How an energy provider implements service design — Dr. Kristina Rodig, Head Of Customer Insight & Innovation at E.ON What happens to an energy provider, when it adopts the service design course? How to change a historically grown technocratic corporation structure towards a customer-centric philosophy? The key talk presents the “E.ON approach” for better customer experiences and a customer-centric corporate culture by presenting specific examples.

1. How to touch electricity
and gas
Dr. Kristina Rodig

2. 2
Energy is a
commodity market;
electricity and gas
are intangibles

3. A year with E.ON: Touchpoints with customers are rather
rare – and not necessarily positive
3
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Oct Nov DecJul Aug Sep
Year-end billQuestion relating to
bill or contract

9. Two major journey projects addressed the core processes
from meter reading to payment
I‘m choosing
E.ON
I‘m coming to
E.ON
I‘m well looked
after at E.ON
I‘m staying with
E.ON
I‘m leaving E.ON
I‘m coming back
to E.ON
Customer Journey project
„Arrive and stay“
Customer Journey project
“Prevent suspension“
Customer Journey project
„Young Households“
Customer Journey project
„From meter to payment“

10. 48 concepts were developed to design a
delighting customer journey
+ 21 concepts from „prevent suspension project

11. Example: Understand customers needs

12. Excample: Co-creation

13. Example: Concepts along customer journey

14. A smart set of linked concepts were launched in
2014/2015 allowing individual Customer Journeys
1
4
E.ON Smart Check
(Live-Pilot launched in January 2015)
is an early warning system making it
easier for customers to check whether
their consumption is in balance with
their advance payments or not
New, intelligent bill layout
(launched in August 2014)
Simplifies understanding the bill´s
contents at one glance for customers
as they receive customized, context
dependent contents, e.g. personalized
energy tips in case of high
consumptionCash payments
(launched in November 2014)
Are a new, user-friendly way for
customers of setting one´s bill in an
uncomplicated way at more than 6.000
retailers in Germany. Customers
benefit from avoiding barring by
immediate payment effectiveness.
Helping Services
(first concepts launched in January 2015)
Such as financial consultation in co-
operation with charity organizations
aid in managing their bill payments,
Payment Support Team and Payment
Plans.
New Payment Reminders with
storyline
(launched in May 2015)
Starts as friendly reminder,
followed by clear showing the
consequences while always giving a
helping hand and activating to contact
us for finding a solution.
Helping Services and Cash Payments
get promoted at a certain critical point.

15. The CAP program resolves a multitude of
unsatisfied customer needs
15
Customer needs and worries
“E.ON protects me from nasty surprises”
“I can check my consumption at any time”
My year with E.ON
Shows all communication and interaction with
E.ON, upcoming tasks and reminders
Consumption to date
Recording and showing consumption to date
Consumption analysis
Showing the energy consumption analysis and
associated customer specific explanations and
recommendations
Energy saving tips
Customer specific energy saving tips tailored
to the personal lifestyle and residential
circumstances
Early warning system
Monitoring centre that warns as soon as
consumption deviates from the monthly
payment1
Bonus / Incentive
Emblems and bonus points as an incentive to
take part in activities set in advance2
Shop
Simple shop to order products and services,
discount in exchange for bonus points
Help desk
Frequently asked questions, customer service
and customer forum
E.ON Smart check

16. Implementing the new bill was done with the
involvement of our customers
1
6
Development together with customers
• Drawing up a catalogue of requirements
with the line departments involved (EKU,
Customer Insight, Brand
Communication, Legal, Taxation etc.)
• Preparing alternative bill variants on this
basis
• Conducting qualitative market
research with E.ON customers in
3 rounds with direct optimisation of the
variants
Input
Concepts from Customer
Journey project
Implementation
Implementation of the final
concept
New, intelligent bill layout

17. Solutions for customers with in payment
difficulties have been developed
Cash Payments
Option to pay the bill in cash in selected
retail stores – especially for customers in
Receive dunning letter Pay cash Instant approval
17
Cash Payments
Success so far
• Total amount of receivables
settled: €3.300.000
• 19.2k payment forms sent out,
thereof 12.6k payments
processed (=65.5%!)

18. Solutions for customers with in payment
difficulties have been developed
Five concepts have been started in 2015
1. Introducing a dedicated hotline for charities
and public agencies
2. Caritas: finding solutions in individual cases
and in exceptions foundations taking over
the energy debts
3. Job center: taking over energy debts (loan
for customers), direct payment of
instalments
4. E.ON: concessions in instalment plans
5. Mediating free of charge electricity checks
from Caritas or consumer advice centres to
the unemployed
18
Helping Services

19. Creating holistic customers solutions with stakeholders and new
diverse partners prepares the organization for the future
Strictly
customer
focussed
Collaborative
working
together with
customers
Interdisci-
plinary team
settings
Inter-sectoral
co-
operations
Partnerships
with Startups
Creating
digital
solutions

20. The major breakthrough:
cultural transformation
with the Open House
FROM ZERO TO HERO | E.ON + minds & makers

24. Service Design today:
Inhouse Training & cross-
sectoral projects

32. Thank you!